What is recycled fiber?
Regenerated fibers refer to natural macromolecular polymers extracted from natural cellulose raw materials as raw materials, and are spun into fibers by various processes, thereby forming fibers with the same macromolecular structure as the raw materials before spinning but with different physical application properties. Regenerated fibers have extremely broad application prospects in the field of nonwoven products.
Today’s wet wipe buyers place great value on the functionality of nonwoven products. In daily life, people generally want to seek a “very clean” wipes suitable for infants, home care and personal care, and “skin-friendly and comfortable” has become the focus of attention in the functional field.
Advanced makeup remover wipes can not only cleanly remove makeup from the face, deeply care for the skin, but also maintain the skin, prevent wrinkles and beautify the skin, and delay skin aging. Most consumers believe that the functionality of wet wipes is very important. Of course, in addition to this, the “strength and tear resistance” properties of household wipes are also the most basic properties.
Viscose and Tencel, the first cellulosic fibres, have a reputation for their naturally excellent properties: they are pure, soft and absorbent. They are therefore versatile and can be used in a wide range of wipes, and these two recycled fibres have proven to be able to meet the increasing demands of consumers in terms of functionality.
The main areas of interest are the following:
- Unparalleled water absorption properties
Viscose and Tencel fibres have excellent water absorption properties, similar to those of their natural origin. The flowing liquid stays around or inside the fibres, a property that is crucial for many wipes.
- Excellent performance in the wet state
The revolutionary Tencel fiber excels in the wet state. Its strength becomes stronger when wet, and the surface of the fabric is smooth, which is very suitable for baby textiles and cosmetic wipes.
Another advantage of Tencel is that the fiber has a high swelling property when it retains water. The water absorption of Tencel has the characteristics of anti-gravity, which can resist the effect of gravity water loss. The wet wipes are soaked in water for a much longer time than other fibers. Strong perspiration performance.
Now more and more people with sensitive skin, such people often deliberately avoid those materials that are prone to allergies when choosing products. The unique properties of Tencel fibers are indeed the right choice for delicate skin. The reason is that because the surface of Tencel fiber is relatively smooth, it can soothe people’s delicate skin, thereby greatly reducing the irritation to the skin.
- Sustainability Standards
Most wet wipes are single-use products. Today, with the increasingly louder calls for energy conservation, emission reduction and environmental protection, more and more consumers want to know how they will affect the environment after being discarded. However, they are often reluctant to pay for it, and wet wipes are no exception.
Today, consumers are often overwhelmed by many environmental concepts and labels. The large-scale application of regenerated fibers must bear this responsibility, and it is also a trend in the future that products meet the environmental protection requirements of sustainable development. This was a hot topic a long time ago.
At present, in terms of wood source and fiber production process, the difficult problem of how to minimize the negative impact on the environment has been successfully solved technically. Although the wood used in the production of regenerated fibers is a renewable resource, it has the characteristics of pollution-free, but not all woods have this property. At present, the wood pulp for the production of regenerated fibers is generally provided by artificially cultivated forests. And it has been subject to the supervision and restriction of various policies.
- From nature and back to nature
Most wipes are designed as single-use products and as a result, more and more consumers want to know whether they will have an impact on the environment when they are discarded. Recycled fibres have excellent environmental properties: as the fibres are derived entirely from wood in nature, they are fully biodegradable and return to nature.
In biodegradation tests recycled fibres can be found to degrade completely into nature within a few weeks. So fabrics made from both viscose and tencel fibres have excellent degradability and in soil biodegradation tests, wet wipes with 100% recycled fibres can be completely degraded in natural conditions within a few weeks.
For disposable sanitary wipes for toilets, the length of these recycled staple fibre slices is generally between 2mm and 12mm, without affecting the strength, and will be accompanied by biodegradation in the waste water, which excludes the possible adverse effects of the wipes in the waste water drainage pipes.
The characteristics of bamboo fibres and their future trends
The concept of sustainable development has had a profound impact on the world, and with the growing importance and preference of consumers for environmentally friendly products, the textile industry is bound to focus more and more on the use of environmentally friendly fabrics or fibres. Nowadays, the research and application of bamboo fibre is becoming more and more widespread and in-depth.
What are the properties of bamboo fibre?
- Growth rate and reproducibility
Bamboo includes some of the fastest growing plants in the world, making them much more renewable than other species of wood, but with similar applications and strength-to-weight ratios. Approximately 70% of the earth’s land area is suitable for bamboo cultivation and there are over 1000 different species of bamboo.
- Antibacterial properties
The inherent antibacterial properties of bamboo mean that far fewer pesticides need to be used in the growing of bamboo. These antibacterial properties are carried over into bamboo products.
- Biodegradability
Bamboo belongs to the grass family and is abundant in nature. Like all plants, bamboo is biodegradable. Mineo biodegradable wipes are made from 100% bamboo fibres and are so natural that the wipes can easily be biodegraded to zero.
Benefits of Bamboo Fibre
- The main material of bamboo wipes is bamboo fibre, whereas the main material of ordinary wipes is non-woven fabric.
- Fabrics made from bamboo have an amazingly soft texture and the microscopic pores within the bamboo fibres make them more absorbent and breathable than other fibres, making them ideal for wet wipes,it is 3.5 times more breathable than cotton and is known as the “breathing fibre”.
- The cross-section of bamboo fibres is concave and convex, covered with nearly elliptical pores, highly hollow and with an extremely strong capillary effect, which can instantly absorb and evaporate large amounts of water, thus making bamboo wipes particularly hygroscopic.
- Bamboo fibre contains “bamboo quinone”, which has natural antibacterial, anti-mite and anti-odour medicinal properties that can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, clean the air around the human body and prevent infectious diseases, thus bamboo fibre sanitary napkins have antibacterial and anti-bacterial medicinal properties without adding any ingredients.
- The chlorophyll and sodium copper chlorophyll in bamboo fibres have a good deodorising effect and can be used in wet wipes to effectively deodorise and deodorise the wipes, which is generally reflected in the actual use of the product.
- Natural bamboo fibre is softer than cotton, smoother than silk, soft against the skin, skin-friendly, bamboo fibre wipes have excellent skin-friendliness, soft to the touch, lubricated and delicate, soft and light.
- Bamboo fibres are very fine per unit, one-fifth the size of normal cotton fibres, so wipes made from bamboo fibres can be thinner.
- The antioxidants in bamboo elements are effective in scavenging free radicals in the body, bamboo fibre contains a variety of essential amino acids, bamboo cellulose, bamboo nectar and pectin have nourishing skin and anti-fatigue properties.
- Bamboo fibre has a UV penetration rate of 0.6%, which is 41.6 times higher than cotton. Bamboo fibre is not freely charged, is anti-static and stops itching.
- Bamboo fibre is a truly environmentally friendly green product, no pollution, bamboo fibre is 100% biodegradable, bamboo fibre wipes burn without black smoke and odour, no charred material after burning, only a small amount of powder.
In conclusion, with the increasing demand for premium wipes in different sectors, the use of high performance recycled fibres to manufacture wipes is more relevant to consumer needs, both in terms of absorbency, wet state performance, sustainability, and cleanliness and hygiene.
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